First Coast Opera and A Classic Theatre are collaborating to bring Northeast Florida audiences a new production that includes a world premiere.
The two companies will present seven performances of “Cox and Box” and “Penelope Ann’s Revenge,” two British farce operettas, during the Romanza Festivale of the Arts in May. Show times are 7:30 p.m. May 4-8 and 2 p.m. May 8-9 at the Lincolnville Museum and Cultural Center in St. Augustine. Tickets can be purchased online at aclassictheatre.org/tickets.
Composed by Arthur Sullivan, of Gilbert and Sullivan fame, “Cox and Box” is a Victorian farce in which two gentlemen unknowingly rent and live in the same apartment. When the landlord’s ruse is uncovered, Mr. Cox and Mr. Box discover that they share other things, including a past fiancée, Penelope Ann.
The story continues, 10 years later, in “Penelope Ann’s Revenge,” a sequel by First Coast Opera Artistic Director Curtis Tucker and Nelson Sheeley, receiving its world premiere.
In the new operetta, Penelope Ann returns to put the two men in their proper places. Apparent conflict turns to happy ending with a few topsy-turvy twists throughout.
The cast consists of Tyler Putnam as Cox, Curtis Tucker as Box, Jason Whitfield as Bouncer, Sarah Nordin as Lydia and Catherine Ortega Spitzer as Penelope.
Tickets $30 for adults and are available at aclassictheatrelorg/tickets. The Lincolnville Museum and Cultural Center is located at 102 MLK Ave., St. Augustine.
This project is sponsored in part by the Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, the Florida Council on Arts and Culture and the State of Florida and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Seating is socially distanced with a limited number of tickets available in advance for each performance. Face coverings are required.
